Hillcrest High robotics team advanced to Semi-Finals in regional competition

May 08, 2017 04:16PM
● By Julie Slama

Hillcrest hs High School team member Ashley Howell prepares their robot for competition at the FIRST Utah regional robotics competition (Utah's FIRST Robotics Competition)

By Julie Slama |
Julie@mycityjournals.com

Robots that were built by about 50 high school
teams were steaming during this year’s FIRST Utah regional robotics competition
in which Hillcrest High finished as one of the top four alliances.

“We’re
a really good defense team so that helped us,” said Clief Castleton, who has
advised the team since it began five years. “Every year, we learn more and
every year, we get better.”

The
team not only advanced to the semifinal
round and finished as one of the top four alliances, it also received the Team
Spirit award.

“We
were hooping and hollering and just cheering on, and
it wasn’t just our team, but for teams in our community and teams we
mentored, like Jordan High (in Sandy),” he said.

Jordan
High, in its inaugural year, took the overall championship award as well as was
named Rookie Team of the Year.

This
year’s FIRST “Steamworks” competition inspired students to build robots that
must lob “fuel cells” (in the form of balls) into a mock steam boiler to build
enough fuel to operate a simulated steam-powered airship. Meanwhile, the robots
also transported giant gears to the airship to engage the ship’s propellers.
Teams score points for each action. At the end, the teams’ robots needed to
climb aboard their hovering airship to complete the round.

The contest comes at the end of a six-week
period in which student teams design, build, program and test the robots.

At
the end of the early round, the top eight teams formed alliances with other
teams. Hillcrest was not amongst the eight, but waited and hoped to be
selected, he said.

“The
first eight teams pick in placement order, then they pick in reverse. The No. 2
team picked us as their last pick, the second team to be picked. We graciously
accepted it and were excited to be competing with our alliance,” Castleton
said.

In the quarterfinals, everything went well,
he said.

“We looked really, really good. Everything
worked like clockwork and we were so excited,” Castleton said.

However, it was in the semifinals,
they met the team they mentored, Jordan, and its alliance.

“They didn’t make a mistake and they not only
beat us, but went on to win the entire tournament,” he said.

Hillcrest teammates cheered alongside Jordan
students.

Jordan
team president and junior Nicole Brooks said she had mixed emotions. Last year,
when Jordan didn’t have its own team, she participated with Hillcrest. In the
quarterfinals, Jordan also beat Alta High’s team, of Sandy, who helped them
with programming.

“It was kind of sad playing against these
teams that supported us, but they were so happy cheering alongside us. We
wanted each other to win as much as we wanted to win ourselves,” she said.

Castleton
said that cooperation amongst teams is part of the FIRST mission. His team gave
Jordan parts as the rookie team started up this year.

“The
goal of FIRST to not only improve yourselves, but to help those around you
become better. We are all promoting science and technology learning among our
community’s students to help with a future generation of engineers, programmers
and scientists.”

Hillcrest
has had its own success as well, going to world championships in its inaugural
year as Rookie of the Year. Since then, the team has been awarded with the
Entrepreneurship Award and Innovation Design. Castleton also has been honored
as the Outstanding Volunteer.